BANGALORE, India, September 8, 2015 — The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has announced the host destinations for three major events in 2017 and 2018. The announcement follows the endorsement of all three venues by the Association’s Executive Board during a meeting in Bangalore, India on September 6, 2015.

The PATA Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference & Mart 2017 will take place in Luoyang, Henan province, China. The city sits on the central plain of China and is regarded as one of the cradles of Chinese civilisation. Luoyang is one of the four great ancient capitals of China.

The name originates from the old town’s location on the north (or sunny) bank of the Luo river. The Longmen Grottoes south of Luoyang were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2000. Luoyang is famous for its water banquet comprising eight cold and 16 warm dishes – all cooked in various broths or juices.

The PATA Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference & Mart is a niche event that brings professionals involved in adventure travel and responsible tourism to discuss opportunities for pursuing and promoting environmental protection and social sustainability.

The PATA Annual Summit 2017 will take place in Negombo – a popular beach destination on the west coast of Sri Lanka. Tourism is a major contributor to local and regional incomes. Negombo is located about 20 miles north of Colombo, the island’s commercial capital, and only three miles from Bandaranaike International Airport.

The PATA Annual Summit 2018 takes place in Pyeongchang-gun county, Gangwon province in Korea (ROK). This region will also host the next Winter Olympics from February 9 -25, 2018. Pyeongchang-gun is located some 110 miles east of Seoul. It is a region popular with mountain hikers, skiers and snowboarders. The Alpensia ski resort attracts local and international visitors throughout the year.

PATA CEO Mario Hardy is confident that these three events will attract a very broad cross section of PATA members, industry affiliates, notable guest speakers and enthusiastic delegates.

Speaking at the PATA Travel Mart 2015 in Bangalore he said, “The PATA events calendar has never looked more exciting and it has certainly never been busier. We are committed to encouraging the dispersal of tourists across a much broader spectrum of destinations and there is no doubt that our events programme gives a much needed boost to secondary and tertiary cities.”

About PATA
Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for profit association that is internationally acclaimed for acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organisations, comprising 87 government, state and city tourism bodies, 25 international airlines, airports and cruise lines, 59 educational institutions, and hundreds of travel industry companies in Asia Pacific and beyond. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 43 local PATA chapters worldwide. The chapters organise travel industry training and business development events. Their grassroots activism underpins PATA’s membership of the Global Travel Association Coalition (GTAC), which includes ACI, CLIA, IATA, ICAO, WEF, UNWTO and the WTTC. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members’ desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA’s Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has official offices or representation in Beijing, Sydney, Dubai, and London. Visit www.PATA.org.